


If I Didn't Know Better I'd Say This Feels Pretty Good

by UniverseInk



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, Semi-Canon Compliant, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 22:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6927256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UniverseInk/pseuds/UniverseInk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmate AU wherein Dave and Karkat learn that you can love someone who is not your soulmate. And then John appears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from the song "I Exist I Exist I Exist" by flatsound

You hadn’t thought much about your soulmate-identifying tattoo. You were a kid, and far more concerned with surviving life in the Strider household than the pictures on your arm that would color in when you met ‘the one’.   
When the game happened you were all very busy trying to win, but when you met Jade on LOFAF there was a moment when you wondered, but your tattoos didn’t match and both stayed very much un-colored. Then you died, and any thoughts of finding your soulmate were driven far from your mind.   
When you and Rose emerged from the Green Sun and landed on the meteor, it came as little surprise to anyone that Rose and Kanaya’s tattoos blossomed into bright jade and lavender. Both girls blushed furiously, but you could tell that Rose was very pleased. You shook hands with Terezi, and were a little disappointed to find that her tattoo had already been colored in with teal and blue, the perfect match of Vriska’s.   
How you became friends with Karkat is still a mystery to you. You figured it had something to do with almost everyone else pairing up with their soulmates. The only other single person on the meteor was Gamzee and fuck if you were gonna spend time with him. All you know is that one day he found you in Can Town with the Mayor and asked if you wanted to watch a movie.  
After that you spent a lot of time together, but neither of you thought anything about the fact that neither of your tattoos had filled in. Karkat once confided in you that he was afraid his soulmate had died on Alternia, and if you were being honest with yourself, you figured yours was dead as well.   
So you didn’t think about it. You spent time with Karkat, built up Can Town with the Mayor, and had some sibling bonding time with Rose. It wasn’t until you had been on the meteor for almost a year that you felt something stirring in your chest.  
It was an average evening, you and Karkat were watching some dumb movie, and you fell asleep with your head on his leg. You woke up as the credits were rolling to find that Karkat had rested his hand on your shoulder. You could feel the warmth of it even before you opened your eyes. It didn’t bother you very much, you had gotten used to people touching you at this point, but there was something very tender about the gesture that unsettled you. When you sat up and announced your alertness, neither of you mentioned it.   
However, the damage was done. Now that you had felt it, the stirring in your chest would not go away. You found yourself gazing fondly at him while you hung out. You wanted to spend all of your time with him. It felt to you exactly how every shitty romance novel Karkat had read to you described, you were falling in love with him.   
Initially you shook off the idea. He wasn’t your soulmate, you had no chance with him. And it’s not like you were gay, anyways. But as time went on you found yourself contemplating a relationship with Karkat. And the more you contemplated it, the more you wanted it.  
Surprisingly enough, Karkat was the one to bring it up. He told you that he had seen the way you were looking at him. In that instant, you expected him to be furious, to lash out at you and call you disgusting. But he didn’t. Instead he blushed, and told you that he liked you too. You were astounded and delighted, but you most definitely did not let out a whoop of delight and kiss him straight on the mouth, no matter how much you wanted to. You let him lean forward awkwardly, and closed the distance between you when he looked too nervous to do any more.   
After the kiss was over, you brought up the soulmate thing. He said he didn’t care. It was most likely that both your soulmates were dead, and he wanted to be with you, not wait around for someone who might never show up. At that, you gave him a rare smile.   
Your relationship with Karkat was amazing. Even after you moved out of the honeymoon phase and began to fight at times, you always made up. He told you about being raised a mutant on Alternia, and you told him about Bro. He was the one who made you realize that your home life had been, quite frankly, complete and utter horseshit. Being with Karkat felt good, it felt right. Eventually you were able to get over your ‘I’m not gay’ panic as well. You loved him, you really did.   
As you approached the new session, everything was a flurry of activity. You were all a mix of anxiety and excitement. Personally, you were beyond ecstatic to see Jade again, and to finally meet John in person. But there were still a few nagging worries in the back of your head. Could you really win the game? What would your teen Bro be like? And what if something happened to Karkat? It seemed in retrospect that those three years had gone by incredibly quickly. A part of you wanted to stay on that meteor forever.  
But you couldn’t. So as the three-year mark got closer and closer, you spent as much time as you could with Karkat. And on the very last night, you lost your virginity to him.   
The next day you were sitting on the platform next to Karkat, waiting. And suddenly, there, flying in with a girl you assumed must be your teen mom, was John. He walked over to where you were sitting, and when he got to you he gave you a fist bump, and then one to Karkat as well. And on his left forearm you could see a tattoo. With a pang you realized that you recognized that tattoo, you had spent hours tracing your fingers along the black lines of its pair. It began to bloom into color and you knew that, hidden under a long sleeve, Karkat’s tattoo was doing the same.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the thrilling saga

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part two, hope you enjoy

As his tattoo began to fill in with bright blue and red, John looked at it, then at you.  
“Dave?” he asked. You shook your head mutely and pointed to Karkat. The troll in question looked confusedly at the two of you and then spotted John’s arm. His jaw dropped.  
“Dave,” he said, almost pleadingly. You couldn’t meet his eyes.   
“Pull up your sleeve, Karkat,” Your voice was monotone and hard. He did as you said, revealing a colored tattoo that matched John’s perfectly. John looked frantic.  
“B-but,” he stammered. “I’m not a homosexual!”  
“Oh god not this again,” Karkat grumbled.   
“But I’m not!”  
“Well, obviously some part of you is madly in love with Karkat.” Your voice came out more hostile than you had intended.  
“Dave, are you okay?” John asked.  
“Fuckin’ peachy,” you muttered.   
“Don’t worry Dave, I’m sure you’ll find your soulmate soon.” You couldn’t look at John’s far too cheerful face.  
“I’m gonna go see what Rose and my teen mom are up to.” With that you turned and walked away. Karkat looked like he wanted to follow, but didn’t.  
“Heya, you must be Dave!” Roxy greeted as you joined them.  
“The one and only,” you failed to keep your voice even.  
“Dave, is everything alright?” Rose asked.  
“Karkat just met his soulmate.” Rose glanced over to the others.  
“John? Really? I was under the impression he wasn’t gay,” she said.  
“Yeah, that’s what he was flipping his shit about when I left.”  
“Who’s Karkat?” Roxy asked. You nodded at him.  
“The troll over there with the nubby horns.”  
“Oh, is he your boyfriend?” You blinked.  
“Well, uh…” you glanced at Rose, who nodded. “Yeah, he’s my boyfriend. Just, don’t tell anyone, okay?”  
“My lips are sealed,” Roxy said, miming zipping them shut.  
“It’s not like it matters now anyways,” you said. “That’s probably over now.”  
“Why would it be over?”  
“Well, Rose, seeing as he just met his fucking soulmate, I doubt he’s gonna want to waste his time on me anymore.”  
“Dave,” Rose said. “I’ve been watching you two on the meteor the last couple years and I know one thing for sure. This was never a waste of time for either of you. I won’t pretend to know the inner workings of your relationship, but anyone on that meteor could tell that you two really love each other. Soulmates be damned, you don’t just throw that away.”  
“Shit. I just… why would he choose me over John?”  
“Man, I don’t really know what’s going on,” Roxy interrupts, “but I can tell you that troll boy of yours has spent more time lookin’ over here than talking to his new soulmate. I think he already chose you, Dave.” You open your mouth to speak, but before you could a hand tapped on your shoulder. You looked up into Karkat’s worried face.  
“Hey Dave, can we talk?” You nodded silently, anxiety building up in your chest. You stood and followed him over to an empty section of the lily pad. Karkat opened his mouth but you cut him off.  
“If you’re leaving me, just say it.”  
“Leaving you? Why the fuck would I leave you?”  
“You got your soulmate, why would you need me?”  
“Dave you fucking moron, I barely know John. And besides, all he’s done since he found out is blather on about how he’s ‘not gay’. Why the fuck would I ever choose him over you?”  
“So, you still want to date, even though I’m not your soulmate?”  
“Dave, I already knew you weren’t my soulmate. But honestly, soulmates are just bullshit. There’s never going to be one single person that you could fall in love with. So fuck all of that, I chose you. I’m never going to stop choosing you.” You stared at him openmouthed for a moment before grabbing his face and pressing your lips to his. You pulled away and rested your forehead against his.   
“Sorry I was such an idiot,” you mumbled.  
“Don’t worry assmunch, I’m used to it.”  
“Don’t scare me like that ever again,” you warned.  
“Don’t worry dickface, I’m not going anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you go, happy ending

**Author's Note:**

> There will be a part two of this, so hang on for that


End file.
